Usage mode for an electronic book

ABSTRACT

A usage mode for an electronic reading device ( 300 ) such as an electronic book, such as those using electrophoretic displays, reduces delays in displaying a new page. Successive first and second pages are displayed on respective first and second display regions ( 410, 420; 610, 630, 650; 620, 640, 660 ). In response to a next page command provided after the user reads the first page, but before the user starts or completes reading the second page, a third page is displayed on the first display region in place of the first page, while the second page remains displayed on the second display region. In a first, initiation part of the command, first shaking pulses ( 710 ), which are not visible in the display region, are provided to the first display region to reduce image history effects. A second, display part of the command causes a drive pulse ( 740 ) to be provided to the first display region. A reset pulse ( 720 ) and further shaking pulses ( 730 ) may also be provided.

The invention relates generally to electronic reading devices such aselectronic books and electronic newspapers and, more particularly, to amethod and apparatus for displaying pages while minimizing delays.

Recent technological advances have provided “user friendly” electronicreading devices such as e-books that open up many opportunities. Forexample, electrophoretic displays hold much promise. Such displays havean intrinsic memory behavior and are able to hold an image for arelatively long time without power consumption. Power is consumed onlywhen the display needs to be refreshed or updated with new information.So, the power consumption in such displays is very low, suitable forapplications for portable e-reading devices like e-books ande-newspaper. Electrophoresis refers to movement of charged particles inan applied electric field. When electrophoresis occurs in a liquid, theparticles move with a velocity determined primarily by the viscous dragexperienced by the particles, their charge (either permanent orinduced), the dielectric properties of the liquid, and the magnitude ofthe applied field.

For example, international patent application WO 99/53373, publishedApr. 9, 1999, by E Ink Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., US, and entitledFull Color Reflective Display With Multichromatic Sub-Pixels, describessuch a display device. WO 99/53373 discusses an electronic ink displayhaving two substrates. One is transparent, and the other is providedwith electrodes arranged in rows and columns. A display element or pixelis associated with an intersection of a row electrode and columnelectrode. The display element is coupled to the column electrode usinga thin film transistor (TFT), the gate of which is coupled to the rowelectrode. This arrangement of display elements, TFT transistors, androw and column electrodes together forms an active matrix. Furthermore,the display element comprises a pixel electrode. A row driver selects arow of display elements, and a column driver supplies a data signal tothe selected row of display elements via the column electrodes and theTFT transistors. The data signals correspond to graphic data to bedisplayed, such as text or figures.

The electronic ink is provided between the pixel electrode and a commonelectrode on the transparent substrate. The electronic ink comprisesmultiple microcapsules of about 10 to 50 microns in diameter. In oneapproach, each microcapsule has positively charged white particles andnegatively charged black particles suspended in a liquid carrier mediumor fluid. When a positive voltage is applied to the pixel electrode, thewhite particles move to a side of the microcapsule directed to thetransparent substrate and a viewer will see a white display element. Atthe same time, the black particles move to the pixel electrode at theopposite side of the microcapsule where they are hidden from the viewer.By applying a negative voltage to the pixel electrode, the blackparticles move to the common electrode at the side of the microcapsuledirected to the transparent substrate and the display element appearsdark to the viewer. At the same time, the white particles move to thepixel electrode at the opposite side of the microcapsule where they arehidden from the viewer. When the voltage is removed, the display deviceremains in the acquired state and thus exhibits a bi-stable character.In another approach, particles are provided in a dyed liquid. Forexample, black particles may be provided in a white liquid, or whiteparticles may be provided in a black liquid. Or, other colored particlesmay be provided in different colored liquids, e.g., white particles ingreen liquid.

Other fluids such as air may also be used in the medium in which thecharged black and white particles move around in an electric field(e.g., Bridgestone SID2003—Symposium on Information Displays. May 18-23,2003,—digest 20.3). Colored particles may also be used.

To form an electronic display, the electronic ink may be printed onto asheet of plastic film that is laminated to a layer of circuitry. Thecircuitry forms a pattern of pixels that can then be controlled by adisplay driver. Since the microcapsules are suspended in a liquidcarrier medium, they can be printed using existing screen-printingprocesses onto virtually any surface, including glass, plastic, fabricand even paper. Moreover, the use of flexible sheets allows the designof electronic reading devices that approximate the appearance of aconventional book.

However, one difficulty with such electronic reading devices is arelatively long image update time, especially for greyscale images/textupdate. Requirements for the associated driving waveform can furtherincrease the update time. This can reduce the user's convenience whentransitioning from one page to another in the electronic reading device,e.g., via a next page command or the like.

The present invention addresses the above and other issues.

In one aspect of the invention, an electronic reading device is providedfor displaying successive first, second and third pages. The electronicreading device includes first and second display regions, and a controlfor controlling the first display region to display the first pagethereon, and for controlling the second display region to display thesecond page thereon. A command for the third page may be given by theuser well before finishing reading the second page. Preferably, thecommand for the third page is given directly after finishing reading thefirst page and well before completing the reading of the second page. Inone approach, all processing for displaying the third page occurs rightaway in response to the command so that the third page can be displayedas soon as possible.

In another approach, the control is responsive to separate user commandsfor processing the third page in two stages. The user provides a firstcommand, for example, after reading the first page but before startingto read the second page, or at least before completing the reading ofthe second page. In response to the first command, an initializationstage is triggered, which involves applying shaking pulses to the firstdisplay region. This initialization is not visible to the user, so thefirst page continues to be displayed in the first display region. Theuser provides a second command after reading the second page. Inresponse to the second command, a display stage of the third page istriggered, which involves providing a drive pulse to the first displayregion. Optionally, a reset pulse, and further shaking pulses providedafter the reset pulse but before the drive pulse, are also provided tothe first display region. This results in the third page being displayedin the first display region. Since the initialization has previouslyoccurred, the total time to display the third page is reduced.

In either case, all or a portion of the processing of the third pageoccurs without delaying the user's progress.

Related computer program products may also be provided.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows diagramatically a front view of an embodiment of a portionof a display screen of an electronic reading device;

FIG. 2 shows diagramatically a cross-sectional view along II-II in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 shows diagramatically an overview of an electronic readingdevice;

FIG. 4(a) shows diagramatically a display screen divided vertically intotwo display regions;

FIG. 4(b) shows diagramatically a display screen divided horizontallyinto two display regions;

FIG. 4(c) shows diagramatically two display screens with respectivedisplay regions;

FIG. 5(a)-(c) show diagramatically a display of successive pages on adisplay screen divided horizontally into two display regions;

FIG. 6(a)-(c) show diagramatically a display of successive pages on adisplay screen with display regions formed by alternate display lines;

FIG. 7 shows diagramatically a first voltage waveform for driving adisplay screen of an electronic reading device; and

FIG. 8 shows diagramatically a second voltage waveform for driving adisplay screen of an electronic reading device.

In all the Figures, corresponding parts are referenced by the samereference numerals.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the embodiment of a portion of a display panel 1 ofan electronic reading device having a first substrate 8, a secondopposed substrate 9 and a plurality of picture elements 2. The pictureelements 2 may be arranged along substantially straight lines in atwo-dimensional structure. The picture elements 2 are shown spaced apartfrom one another for clarity, but in practice, the picture elements 2are very close to one another so as to form a continuous image.Moreover, only a portion of a full display screen is shown. Otherarrangements of the picture elements are possible, such as a honeycombarrangement. An electrophoretic medium 5 having charged particles 6 ispresent between the substrates 8 and 9. A first electrode 3 and secondelectrode 4 are associated with each picture element 2. The electrodes 3and 4 are able to receive a potential difference. In FIG. 2, for eachpicture element 2, the first substrate has a first electrode 3 and thesecond substrate 9 has a second electrode 4. The charged particles 6 areable to occupy positions near either of the electrodes 3 and 4 orintermediate to them. Each picture element 2 has an appearancedetermined by the position of the charged particles 6 between theelectrodes 3 and 4. Electrophoretic media 5 are known per se, e.g., fromU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,961,804, 6,120,839, and 6,130,774 and can be obtained,for instance, from E Ink Corporation.

As an example, the electrophoretic medium 5 may contain negativelycharged black particles 6 in a white fluid. When the charged particles 6are near the first electrode 3 due to a potential difference of, e.g.,+15 Volts, the appearance of the picture elements 2 is white. When thecharged particles 6 are near the second electrode 4 due to a potentialdifference of opposite polarity, e.g., −15 Volts, the appearance of thepicture elements 2 is black. When the charged particles 6 are betweenthe electrodes 3 and 4, the picture element has an intermediateappearance such as a grey level between black and white. A drive control100 controls the potential difference of each picture element 2 tocreate desired images or text in a full display screen. The full displayscreen is made up of numerous picture elements that correspond to pixelsin a display.

FIG. 3 shows diagramatically an overview of an electronic readingdevice. The electronic reading device 300 includes the control 100,including an addressing circuit 105. The control 100 controls the one ormore display screens 310, such as electrophoretic screens, to causedesired text or image to be displayed. For example, the control 100 mayprovide voltage waveforms to the different pixels in the display screen310.

The addressing circuit provides information for addressing specificpixels, such as row and column, to cause the desired image or text to bedisplayed. The image or text data may be stored in a memory 120. Oneexample is the Philips Electronics small form factor optical (SFFO) disksystem. The control 100 may be responsive to a user-activated softwareor hardware button 320 which initiates a user command such as a nextpage command, previous page command. Optionally, the button 320 may beactivated twice by the user for each page change. After a firstactivation, the next or previous page is initialized in a process thatis not visible to the user. This may be done, for instance, prior towhen the user nears the end of a page. The user may provide the secondactivation after completing the reading of the page to cause the nextpage to be displayed. Since the initialization has already occurred as aform of pre-processing, the time to display the next page after thesecond activation is reduced.

The control 100 may be part of a computer that executes any type ofcomputer code devices, such as software, firmware, micro code or thelike, to achieve the functionality described herein. Accordingly, acomputer program product comprising such computer code devices may beprovided in a manner apparent to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 4(a) shows diagramatically a display screen divided vertically intotwo display regions. The display screen 400 includes a first, topdisplay region 410 that displays a first page, and second, bottomdisplay region 420 that displays a second page. The display regions 410and 420 may be provided on a common screen that is partitioned by apartition line 402 into the two regions. Various user interface devicesmay be provided to allow the user to initiate page forward, pagebackward commands and the like. For example, the first region mayinclude on-screen buttons 414 that can be activated using a mouse orother pointing device, a touch activation or other known technique, tonavigate among the pages of the electronic reading device. In additionto page forward and page backward commands, a capability may be providedto scroll up or down in the same page. Hardware buttons 412 may beprovided alternatively, or additionally, to allow the user to providepage forward and page backward commands. The second region may alsoinclude on-screen buttons 424 and/or hardware buttons 422. Thus, eachdisplay region may be independently operated with its own buttons. Notethat the frame 405 around the first and second display regions 410, 420is not required as the display regions may be frameless.

In one possible design, the buttons 412, 414, 422, 424 are activated ina two-part process. The first activation may be made prior to when theuser expects to complete the reading of a given page and transition to anext or previous page, while the second activation may be made when theuser has completed the reading of the given page and desires toimmediately view the next or previous page. The same button may beactivated twice to this end. For example, the user may activate thebuttons 412, 414 associated with the first region 410 on which the firstpage is displayed before continuing to read the second page on the lowerpart of the screen. This activation causes the initialization of thethird page. Or, the user may activate the buttons 422, 424 associatedwith the second region when nearing the end of the second page or aftercompleting the reading of the second page. It is also possible toprovide a separate button for each activation, e.g., an “initialize”button and a “display” button, but this is believed to be lessconvenient. It is also possible to provide an indication to the user,such as an on-screen icon, or a light on the frame 405, regardingwhether an initialization has occurred. Other interfaces, such as avoice command interface, may be used as well. Such an interface mayrespond to voice commands such as “ready next page” and “go to nextpage”, or “ready” and “go”, for example. Note that the buttons 412, 414;422, 424 are not required for both display regions. That is, a singleset of page forward and page backward buttons may be provided for thedisplay screen 400. Or, a single button or other device, such as arocker switch, may be actuated to provide both page forward and pagebackward commands.

FIG. 4(b) shows diagramatically a display screen divided horizontallyinto two display regions. The display screen 430 includes a first, lefthand display region 432 that displays a first page, and second, righthand display region 434 that displays a second page. The display regions432 and 434 may be provided on a common screen that is partitioned intothe two regions. The first region 432 may include on-screen buttons 424and/or hardware buttons 422, while the second region 434 may alsoinclude on-screen buttons 414 and/or hardware buttons 412.

FIG. 4(c) shows diagramatically two horizontally arranged displayscreens with respective display regions. Here, the display regions areprovided on separate display screens. Specifically, a first displayregion 442 is provided on a first screen 440, and a second displayregion 452 is provided on a second screen 450. The first region 442 mayinclude on-screen buttons 424 and/or hardware buttons 422, while thesecond region 452 may include on-screen buttons 414 and/or hardwarebuttons 412. The screens 440 and 450 may be connected by a binding 445that allows the screens to be folded flat against each other, or openedup and laid flat on a surface. This arrangement is desirable since itclosely replicates the experience of reading a conventional book.

FIG. 5(a) shows diagramatically a display screen divided horizontallyinto two display regions, with pages 1 and 2 displayed on respectivefirst and second display regions. The page forward and page backwardbuttons are not shown but can be included as discussed previously. Whenreading a conventional book, two new pages are displayed each time apage is turned. However, electronic reading devices that follow thisapproach experience delays when displaying a new page. Accordingly, anew display order is presented that minimizes delays. This approach isgenerally applicable to all types of electronic reading devices such ase-books and e-newspapers, including those with bi-stable displays suchas electrophoretic displays.

In one approach, a first page is displayed on a first display region 505of a display screen 500, and a second page is displayed on a seconddisplay region 510 of the display screen 500. When a user has read thefirst and second pages and desires to read the next page, i.e., thethird page, the user activates the next page button, either once ortwice, to cause the third page to be displayed in the first displayregion 505 in place of the first page, while the second page remainsdisplayed in the second display region 510, as shown in FIG. 5(b). Whenthe user has read the third page and desires to read the next page,i.e., the fourth page, the user again activates the next page button,either once or twice, to cause the fourth page to be display in thesecond display region 510 in place of the second page, while the thirdpage remains displayed in the first display region 505, as shown in FIG.5(c). The first, second, third and fourth pages are successive pages inthe electronic reading device. Note that the process can similarly beused for vertically arranged display regions as well.

In another approach, when the user has read the first page, the nextpage button is activated, either once or twice, to cause the third pageto be initialized or displayed in the first display region 505 in placeof the first page, after which a user starts reading the second page.When only the initialization process is activated, the first displayregion 505 is initialized using shaking pulses as discussed inconnection with FIGS. 7 and 8 so that the third page is not yet visible,and the first page is still visible. When both the initialization anddisplay processes are activated, the third page will become totallyvisible to the user. In this case, a complete waveform corresponding tothe new information data of the third page is loaded and applied to thepicture elements in the first display region 505 to cause the third pageto be displayed as shown in FIG. 5(b). The choice of whether to provideonly initialization, or both initialization and display, in response toa given user command, can be set depending on the choice of theuser/interface design. When a user has read the second page, the nextpage button is activated, either once or twice, to cause the fourth pageto be initialized or displayed in the second display region 510 in placeof the second page, after which a user starts reading the third page.Again, the information of the fourth page can be made invisible whenonly the initialization process is activated, or made totally visible tothe user when the whole waveform corresponding the new information datais loaded, depending on the choice of the user/interface design. It ispreferable for the initialization processing to occur for a next pageprior to when the user desires to read the next page. By performing theinvisible initialization as a form of pre-processing of the next page,the time for displaying the next page is reduced when the user is readyto read the next page. This improves the convenience for the user.

The process can work in reverse for page back commands, e.g., asillustrated by the sequence FIG. 5(c), FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 5(a).Moreover, the process is equally applicable to languages in which textis read from right to left, such as Hebrew. In this case, the displaysare a mirror image of the displays shown in FIGS. 5(a)-(c). For example,in FIG. 5(a), the first page would be on the right hand display region510 and the second page would be on the left hand display region 505.

Additionally, note that the entire page need not be displayed on therespective display region. A portion of the page may be displayed and ascrolling capability provided to allow the user to scroll up, down, leftor right to read other portions of the page. A magnification andreduction capability may be provided to allow the user to change thesize of the text or images. This may be desirable for users with reducedvision, for example.

In any case, the approach of FIGS. 5(a)-(c) takes advantage of the factthat the pages are read one at a time and thus avoids the update timeand loss of continuity that would be incurred by redisplaying two pagesat a time. Moreover, even if there is some perceivable delay, e.g., indisplaying the third page, the user continues to have the second page infront of him or her in the same display region so the user will not losehis or her position in the electronic reading device when the third pageis displayed. Furthermore, by performing the initialization prior towhen the next page is displayed, the information of the third page canbe made completely visible for the user while the user is reading thesecond page, and the third page is ready to read directly after havingread the second page. Thus, no waiting time is required for displayingthe third page. The same holds for the fourth page, and so forth.

FIG. 6(a) shows diagramatically a display screen with alternate displaylines of a first page. In this approach, text from different pages isdisplayed in different regions of a display screen 600 that comprisealternate groups of one or more lines of the display screen. Forexample, a first display region may include lines 610, 630, and 650 onwhich respective first, second and third lines of the first page aredisplayed. A second display region may include lines 620, 640, and 660,which are blank. Note that the approach described is equally applicableto languages such as Chinese in which text is read in lines of columnsrather than rows. In this case, alternate columns are used instead ofrows. Moreover, note that only three lines are shown for simplicity. Inpractice, many more lines may be used to simulate the appearance of aconventional book

When a user activates the first part of a two part next page command,e.g., the initialization part, alternate groups of one or more lines ofthe display screen are initialized for the next page, e.g., the secondpage. For example, the lines 620, 640, and 660 of the second displayregion are initialized while the lines in the first display regioncontinue to display the first page, as shown in FIG. 6(b). Text is notvisible in the lines 620, 640 and 660 during the initialization, so thelines. 610, 630 and 650 can continue to be read without distraction. Asdescribed further in connection with FIGS. 7 and 8, a voltage waveformcomprising shaking pulses may be provided to the second display regionduring the initialization. The text of the second display region is notvisible during the initialization so there is no confusion with textfrom different pages appearing at the same time. Preferably, theinitialization of the second page is activated by the user before theuser has started to read the first page, or at least prior to when theuser has completed reading the first page. When the user activates thesecond part of the two part next page command, e.g., the display part, avoltage waveform is provided to the second display region to cause thealternate lines 620, 640 and 660 to display the second page, while avoltage waveform is provided to the first display region to blank outthe display of the first page on the alternate lines 610, 630 and 650,as shown in FIG. 6(c).

Similarly, when the user again activates the first part of a two partnext page command, the lines 610, 630, and 650 of the first displayregion are initialized while the lines 620, 640 and 660 in the seconddisplay region continue to display the second page, as shown in FIG.6(d). When the user activates the second part of the two part next pagecommand, a voltage waveform is provided to the first display region tocause the alternate lines 610, 630 and 650 to display the third page,while a voltage waveform is provided to the second display region toblank out the display of the second page on the alternate lines 620, 640and 660, as shown in FIG. 6(e).

For any of the embodiments discussed herein, simple instructions can beprovided to train the user to provide the two-part command as describedto increase reading convenience. It is also possible for the control 100to have logic that automatically provides the initialization of the nextpage. For example, referring to FIG. 6(a), the second page can beautomatically initialized after the first page is displayed. Other logiccan be used to initialize a next page after a predetermined amount oftime. This logic can be adapted to a measured reading speed of the userbased on the frequency at which the next page command is given.

FIG. 7 shows diagramatically a first voltage waveform for driving adisplay screen of an electronic reading device. As discussed inconnection with FIG. 3, a controller 100 provides a signal such as avoltage waveform for controlling the appearance of each pixel in thedisplay. Note that a separate waveform is provided for each pixel in thedisplay. However, each waveform using for initialization may be thesame. The example voltage waveform 700 has a level of zero prior to atime t1. Since an electrophoretic display exhibits a memory behavior,the previous optical state is retained even with no applied voltage. Inthe present example, it is assumed that the previous state is white. Ata time t1, when the user initiates the initialization part of a two-partnext page command, first shaking pulses 710 are provided to the pixelsduring an initialization phase that extends to time t2. The firstshaking pulses 710 comprise at least one preset pulse with a pulselength of 20 msec or less, or even less than 10 msec., for example, andhave a total duration up to approximately 100 to 160 msec., for example.The initialization pulses 710 include three positive and three negativepreset pulses that are applied with a pulse length of 20 msec. and totalduration of 120 msec. Generally, the first shaking pulses are shortenough so that there is no visible change of the optic state of thedisplay. Moreover, each shaking pulse has an energy, based on amplitudeand duration, sufficient to release the electrophoretic particles fromone of the extreme positions, e.g., black or white, but insufficient toenable the particles to reach the other extreme position, e.g., totransition from black to white, or from white to black. Moreover, theshaking pulses may alternate between the minimum and maximum voltages,e.g., −15V and +15V. The duration of the first shaking pulses is oftenapproximately 20% of the duration of the waveform 700. Generally, thiscorresponds to the minimum reduction in the display time of a page.

At a time t2, the user initiates the display part of the two-part nextpage command. Note that the first shaking pulses 710 may be terminatedafter a predetermined amount of time if the user has not yet activatedthe second part of the next page command (see FIG. 8). At this time, areset pulse 720 is provided to the pixels for a duration that issufficient to move the particles to extreme optic states, e.g., black orwhite. This ensures that the old image is completely erased or blankedout during a new image update. The duration of the reset pulse 720 maytake into account the previous optic state. For example, if it is knownthat the previous optic state is white, the duration of the reset pulseshould be sufficient to drive the pixel to the black optic state. Thisduration depends on the electrophoretic properties of the medium beingused. For example, a duration of up to 500 msec. may be used. In thepresent example, the pixel is driven to the black optic state at leastby time t3.

At time t3, a second set of shaking pulses 730 may be provided to thepixel. Generally, these shaking pulses can have a similar pulse durationas the first shaking pulses 710. The total duration of the secondshaking pulses 730 may be approximately one-half the duration of thefirst shaking pulses 710, e.g., (t4-t3)=½(t2-tl). The shaking pulses 710and 730 have no visible optical effect but are important for achieving ahigh quality image and can be data independent. In particular, theshaking pulses 710 and 730 reduce the dwell time and image historyeffects, thereby reducing image retention and increasing greyscaleaccuracy. At time t4, a greyscale drive pulse is provided which causesthe pixel to display a desired color, such as dark grey. The greyscaledrive pulse has a level and duration in accordance with the opticalstate to be reached. It will be appreciated that both color and blackand white images may be provided. As an example, the greyscale drivepulse may have a duration of 150 msec. At time t5, the drive waveform700 returns to a zero value. The reset pulse 720, second shaking pulses730 and drive pulse 740 may be considered to form the display portion ofthe waveform 700. Generally, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first shaking pulsesand drive pulses are needed to display the next page, while the resetpulse and second shaking pulses are optional.

Preferably, the entire sequence is initiated at time t1 in response toone next page command. This approach is desirable since the informationof the third page, for instance, can be made completely visible for theuser while the user is reading the second page, and the third page isready to read directly after the user has completed reading the secondpage—thus no waiting time is required for displaying the third page. Thesame holds for the fourth page and so forth. This approach minimizes theupdate time in a situation where it is acceptable to have visiblechanges in the display screen portion that is being updated, such asshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The waveform 700 is particularly suited to thedisplay sequences of FIGS. 4(a)-(c) and 5(a)-(c), which have separatenon-alternating display regions, because it is allowable to make thethird page completely visible to the user on the first display regionwhile the user is reading the second page on the second region of thescreen.

FIG. 8 shows diagramatically a second voltage waveform for driving adisplay screen of an electronic reading device. This approach delays thedisplay portion of the waveform until the user provides the second nextpage command. In particular, the voltage waveform 800 is similar to thewaveform 700, but includes an inactive period 810 following the firstshaking pulses 710. The reset pulse 720 begins at time t3 when the userinitiates the display part of the two-part next page command. Thewaveform 800 is particularly suited to the alternate line displaysequence of FIGS. 6(a)-(e) since it minimizes the update time whileavoiding visible changes in the, e.g., odd, alternate lines of thedisplay screen that are being updated that would be unacceptable untilthe user has completed reading the existing, e.g., even, alternatedisplay lines. That is, it is not desirable to make the second pagevisible to the user on the second display region of the screen while theuser is reading the first page on the first display region of the samescreen on alternate lines. Only the portion of the waveform that doesnot result in a visible change on the display and that is independent ofdata to be displayed, i.e. the first shaking pulses, is loaded in theinitialization process when the initialization command is activated.

The drawings of FIGS. 7 and 8 are not necessarily to scale. In FIG. 8,the inactive period 810 would likely be quite a bit longer than theinitialization period, depending, e.g., on the reader's speed.

While there has been shown and described what are considered to bepreferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, beunderstood that various modifications and changes in form or detailcould readily be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. It is therefore intended that the invention not be limited tothe exact forms described and illustrated, but should be construed tocover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for displaying successive first, second and third pages ofan electronic reading device, comprising: displaying the first page on afirst display region (505) of the electronic reading device (500);displaying the second page on a second display region (510) of theelectronic reading device; and in response to a next page command,displaying the third page on the first display region (505) in place ofthe first page, while the second page remains displayed on the seconddisplay region (510).
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: inresponse to a further next page command, displaying a fourth page on thesecond display region (510) in place of the second page, while the thirdpage remains displayed on the first display region (505).
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein: the first and second display regions compriserespective alternate display lines (610, 630, 650; 620, 640, 660) of adisplay screen.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the first and seconddisplay regions comprise respective regions of a display screen.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein: the first and second display regionscomprise respective display screens.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein:a user provides the next page command after reading the first page andprior to starting the reading of the second page.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein: a user provides the next page command after reading thefirst page and prior to completing the reading of the second page.
 8. Anelectronic reading device for displaying successive first, second andthird pages, comprising: first and second display regions (505; 510);and a control (100) for controlling the first display region (505) todisplay the first page thereon, and for controlling the second displayregion (510) to display the second page thereon; wherein, in response toa next page command, the control (100) controls the first display regionto display the third page thereon in place of the first page.
 9. Amethod for displaying successive first, second and third pages of anelectronic reading device, comprising: displaying the first page on afirst display region (505) of the electronic reading device (300);displaying the second page on a second display region (510) of theelectronic reading device (300); and in response to at least one usercommand, displaying the third page on the first display region (505) inplace of the first page by providing voltage waveforms (700, 800) to thefirst display region (505), each voltage waveform including at least oneshaking pulse (710) and a subsequent drive pulse (740).
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein: the at least one user command includes aninitialization part and a display part; the at least one shaking pulse(710) is provided in response to the initialization part; and the drivepulse (740) is provided in response to the display part.
 11. The methodof claim 9, wherein: a user provides the at least one user command afterreading the first page and prior to starting the reading of the secondpage.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein: a user provides the at leastone user command after reading the first page and prior to completingthe reading of the second page.
 13. An electronic reading device fordisplaying successive first, second and third pages, comprising: firstand second display regions (505; 510); and a control (100) forcontrolling the first display region (505) to display the first pagethereon, and for controlling the second display region (510) to displaythe second page thereon; wherein, in response to at least one usercommand, the control (100) controls the first display region to displaythe third page thereon in place of the first page by providing voltagewaveforms (700, 800) to the first display region (505), each voltagewaveform including at least one shaking pulse (710) and a subsequentdrive pulse (740).
 14. The electronic reading device of claim 13,wherein: each voltage waveform (700, 800) includes a reset pulse (720)following the at least one shaking pulse (710) and preceding the drivepulse (740).
 15. The electronic reading device of claim 14, herein: eachvoltage waveform (700, 800) includes at least one further shaking pulse(730) following the reset pulse (720) and preceding the drive pulse(740).
 16. The electronic reading device of claim 13, wherein: anappearance of the first page on the first display region (505) issubstantially unchanged when the at least one shaking pulse (710) isprovided to the first display region.
 17. The electronic reading deviceof claim 13, further comprising: at least one of a hardware and softwarebutton (412, 414, 422, 424) to allow a user to provide the at least onecommand.
 18. The electronic reading device of claim 13, wherein: thefirst and second display regions comprise electrophoretic displays. 19.The electronic reading device of claim 13, wherein: the at least oneuser command includes an initialization part and a display part; the atleast one shaking pulse (710) is provided in response to theinitialization part; and the drive pulse (740) is provided in responseto the display part.
 20. The electronic reading device of claim 19,wherein: the initialization part and display part are each separatelyuser-initiated.
 21. A computer program product for displaying successivefirst, second and third pages of an electronic reading device,comprising: computer code devices configured to cause a computer to:display the first page on a first display region (505) of the electronicreading device (300); display the second page on a second display region(510) of the electronic reading device; and in response to a next pagecommand, display the third page on the first display region (505) inplace of the first page, while the second page remains displayed on thesecond display region (510).
 22. A computer program product fordisplaying successive first, second and third pages of an electronic.reading device, comprising: computer code devices configured to cause acomputer to: display the first page on a first display region (505) ofthe electronic reading device (300); display the second page on a seconddisplay region (510) of the electronic reading device; and in responseto at least one user command, display the third page on the firstdisplay region (505) in place of the first page by providing voltagewaveforms (700, 800) to the first display region, each voltage waveformincluding at least one shaking pulse (710) and a subsequent drive pulse(740).